Normally, hotels in former monasteries are all spartan and pared back. Not so Stanbrook Abbey, which opens fully 1 March in the middle of England's pretty Malvern Hills in Worcestershire.

There are 52 rooms in the main building of the abbey, which dates back to 1625, though the current architecture is Victorian, by Pugin. There were more, when it was nuns living here; but the hotel has torn walls down to make the nuns’ cells into proper bedrooms, and adding distinctly non-monastic things like central heating and bathrooms.

One of Edinburgh’s treasured historic buildings is getting closer to becoming a luxury hotel. But don’t check your schedule yet, we can't tell you the name, the opening date, or the number of rooms. However, we do know it will bear a flag we all recognize and it will be a first for that flag in Edinburgh. Our thinking caps are firmly in place.

Built in 1829 on Calton Hill with an Acropolis-like presence, this Greek Revival building was originally a boy’s school, and has been empty and in need of TLC since 1968.

Converting the A-listed heritage site to a luxury “arts hotel” has been on the table since 2010 when developers Duddingston House Properties secured a 125-year lease on the property. Early plans raised both eyebrows and concerns from the public, preservation agencies, and city planning officials. Understandable but imagine the possibilities.

We’ve called out the Waldorf Astoria New York for the good (honoring room rates from long ago today) and the bad (cough – the rooms – cough) of its long history. That the hotel has seen a few things in its century-plus tenure is undeniable, and you can now take a walk back in time through its online archive.

The owner of a gorgeous Art Deco building in Downtown Fort Worth is eager to convert it to a 165-room hotel, specifically an Autograph Collection hotel. It is not a done deal yet, as there are many a design hoop to jump through, but things appear to moving forward, with an anticipated opening in late 2016.

It’s always great to hear of an endangered landmark that may be saved from the wrecking ball and given back to its city as a hotel. When such salvaging happens in Detroit, it especially thrilling as we are all rooting for Motor City to make a comeback. Here is what we know about the latest effort to turn an abandoned building in Detroit into a hip, hotel (as if there was any other kind.)

Brooklyn-based developers ASH NYC have a contract to buy one of the most delapidated, graffiti adorned, buildings in Detroit for conversion to a boutique hotel. The slender 14-story building, pictured above, was once offices and a retail music center for Wurlitzer, the American company acclaimed for its organs and pianos, but who also made jukeboxes and electric guitars. Yes, we're already imagining some of these musical instruments displayed inside the new hotel.

Once a public bathhouse, then a cult nightclub, Les Bains, in the Marais district, was built in 1885 as Les Bains Douches, and was initially the most famous thermal spa in Paris – Marcel Proust took the waters here! Fast forward to 1978, and Andy Warhol and his ilk were living it up in the baths-turned-nightclub (designed by the then unknown Philippe Starck), which became the Studio 54 of Paris. The club closed in 2011, when it became a full-immersion art installation and artists’ residency. And now – draw breathe – it’s about to be a hotel.

What to do for some January fun when you’re known as the most haunted hotel in America, so spooky that Stephen King penned The Shining after one terrifying night at yours?

Why, in addition to the ghost tours and looping the film on your entertainment system, you realize the one thing missing that would really cement your reputation is a Shining-style maze. So you build it.

Just as 2014 was a banner year for hotel openings across New York City, 2015 and beyond should not disappoint. With some big name hotels coming from SLS, Edition, Public, and Baccarat, there are also some great boutiques and independents in the works that we're following.

Here are 4 special hotels that we are looking at today. Of course, there are more. We're not blind. We'll have those for your shortly. But for now, take a look at these lovely spots:

Things are looking up, literally, at The Beekman, a luxury hotel and condo development in lower Manhattan. We've been covering the upcoming Thompson hotel ever since it was announced and we're excited to see and share this rendering - the one we've all been waiting for. Pictured above is the spectacular 9-story atrium lounge/bar/dining space that is clearly the showpiece of the Beekman.

This circa 1883 New York City landmark, formerly known as Temple Court, just oozes with great detailing, most notably the graceful wrought iron railings and floor bracing. The hotel's interiors are being designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (images to follow) and will offer 287 rooms and suites, a rooftop lounge and restaurants by Keith McNally and Tom Colicchio. The hotel is slated to open later this year. We'll see you in the lounge.

We told you about the Gotham before – the extraordinary new project taking over the historic Midland Bank HQ, a brooding, art deco building that’s perfect for the Gotham theme. And the art deco theme. And the exotic theme, all of which we’ve been promised.

It’s only a few months ago Raffles Hotels finally added a second European hotel to its portfolio: Istanbul, giving at least some company to until-then solo act the Royal Monceau in Paris. Expansion on the continent will continue though, if in the slightly left-field Polish capital of Warsaw, with the revival of the historic Hotel Europejski, due to open in 2016.

First opened in 1857, the hotel was known as one of the most luxurious in the Russian Empire. Virtually destroyed during World War II, it was rebuilt and eventually reopened in 1962. Closed for years, now the Europejski will be restored to its former glory, with 103 rooms and suites, restaurants, bar, and spa.

Sometimes a property comes along that is so mindblowingly different, superlatively amazing and completely unique that all you can do is let that mouth of yours fall unattractively open. This is one of those times.

It’s going to be the biggest property so far, with a whopping 87 bedrooms, Cecconi’s restaurant with “courtyard garden”, two – yes, two – rooftop pools (of which one at least is overlooking the Bosphorus, according to the video) and a nightclub, as well as the screening room, gym and Cowshed spa you’d expect.

But by far the best bit is the building itself: Palazzo Corpi in Beyoğlu, built in 1882 for a Genoese family, and then taken over (uh, quelle surprise?) by the US consulate 25 years later – the first US-owned diplomatic premises in the world (more on the US links here #history). Look at this video we stumbled on (ok, we didn't stumble, we were doing a pretty thorough stalking job on the property) – and be prepared to be wowed. (Sorry, privacy settings mean it's viewable but not embeddable.)